


Evermore

by me_and_phil



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Foul Language, M/M, Starboy Howell/Plantboy Lester, cursing, lol idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 03:14:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10608126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/me_and_phil/pseuds/me_and_phil
Summary: University AU. Dan, a physics and philosophy student, is heading to the roof of the science building to chart stars for an Astronomy class. What he finds instead is a rooftop garden and Phil, an aspiring botanist. Fluff and friendship ensue. Alternatively called the Starboy Howell/Plantboy Lester fic.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so if you clicked on this thank you so much! This is my first Dan and Phil fic so I'm sure lots of errors are to be found. I also know nothing about astrology or botany so if you do, feel free to fact check this thing and send me a strongly worded response. (Just not too strongly worded because I am weak). Also also, I wrote this as a oneshot but if you want more/think this could be a multi chapter thing, let me know about that as well. I will love you forever either way <3 Thank you and enjoy the fic :) (P.S. sorry for the self promo but hmu on tumblr @ me-and-phil if you want to thanks and goodbye for real this time)

“Fuck. Shit. Fucking shit.”

All the equipment Dan was dragging up the stairs crashed together as it fell out of his hands and threatened to slide back down to the bottom of the ten thousand steps he had just climbed. He dove down, landing directly on top of his crappy telescope and stand. Something sharp poked him in the side, and he cursed again before standing up, pulling everything back into his arms. 

“One more flight. One more flight and then you can spend the next four hours staring at stars. No heavy lifting or exercise involved at all.” Until the next morning when he would have to drag everything back down to the physics department in the basement. Dan groaned. His footsteps and heavy breathing were the only noises echoing through the stairwell. 

“Finally!” He forced himself up the last step and fell against the suspicious looking metal door. It led to the roof of the science building, a place no one ever visited. He was alone. 

The dimly lit hallway made the red exit sign look ominously bright against the walls. Dan narrowed his eyes and then leaned over the rail, staring back down the endless staircase. “I’m pretty sure I’ve watched a horror film that started this way. If there’s an ax murder waiting up here, I’m going to kill Dr. Whitt.”

Mustering all the courage he had, Dan reached out and turned the cool, metal door knob. It didn’t budge. He tried it again, more forcefully this time.

Still, nothing.

Dan yanked the handle and shook the door, but nothing happened. It was locked.

“You have got to be physically shitting down my leg. I climbed six flights of stairs just to find out that the one door no one actually uses is locked? What half-witted- “ 

The door swung open.

Dan gave a high-pitched shriek and immediately threw his telescope stand towards the towering figure looming up from the doorway. 

“Ow! What the heck? Stop! What’re you doing?” The figure brought up its arms to shield its face from Dan’s onslaught. 

Dan raised the telescope lens, preparing to strike, but a hand reached up and grabbed his wrist before he could attack. 

“Cut it out!” 

Dan froze. The lights from the roof were shining in the open door, outlining a boy with dark hair and pale skin with bright light. He was nearly as tall as Dan was, so Dan only had to look down slightly to meet his glare. Dan felt his cheeks heat up. This boy was gorgeous, even when he looked like he was about to punch him square in the jaw. His slender fingers were warm against his wrist, and Dan slowly pulled away from him. 

“Err, sorry, I thought you were an ax murderer.” When the boy raised an eyebrow, Dan coughed and looked down at his feet. This was completely humiliating.

“Well I’m not an ax murder, just so you know. I’m a tired bio student who just wants to water his plants so he can finally get some sleep.” The boy sighed and rubbed his arm. A bruise was starting to form on his forearm.

Dan could feel himself blushing even harder. “Right, I’m really sorry about that. I think I have a med kit in my backpack if you want a bandage or something for that bruise.” He bent down and started to collect his astronomy equipment. He was praying to every deity he didn’t believe in that nothing was broken. Whitt would kill him. 

The boy dropped down beside him, picking up a pair of binoculars and holding them out. “Nah, don’t worry about it. My skin is as delicate as a ripe peach, so I bruise easily.”

Dan snorted and felt his mouth turn up in a grin. Taking the binoculars from him, he made sure to move carefully enough as not to touch him again. He looked up shyly. “Thank you. I’m Dan by the way.”

“I’m Phil. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you but…” Phil laughed, his tongue poking out between his teeth. He looked absolutely adorable. 

Damn. Dan thought to himself. He cleared his throat and looked away. “Heh, yeah…sorry about that.” He stood up, awkwardly clutching the huge telescope, stand, and binoculars to himself. 

Phil pulled himself up too, brushing his hands against the sides of his black jeans. “So, uh…you an astronomer or something?” He nodded towards Dan’s arms.

“Or something. I’m taking an astronomy class for my major and I was coming up here to try to chart a couple of constellations for homework. Also, Venus is supposed to be very visible tonight.” 

“Wowie. What kind of major requires charting stars?”

“Physics and Philosophy”

“That’s an interesting combination. What made you decide on that? What’re you going to get a job in when you graduate?” Phil was still smiling, and he seemed genuinely interested which made Dan feel slightly uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to people being interested in him. 

“Um…I’d love to tell you, but this crap is pretty heavy.” Dan gestured with his full arms. 

“Oh! Sorry about that. You can set up your stuff out here in the middle of the garden. Here, follow me.” Phil stepped aside and held the door open for Dan as he walked out onto the roof. It was covered with rows and rows of plants potted in wide, square planting boxes. There were huge ferns, patches of colorful flowers, and even a section that looked to be a vegetable garden. Dan wondered if Phil really watered these plants all by himself. 

Phil led him to the middle section of the roof where two couches were set up facing each other amongst a semicircle of small flowering bushes. “This is good. Here you won’t be in the plants’ way too much.” 

Dan snorted again and rolled his eyes. “Gee thanks. I’d hate to get in the way of their photosynthesizing.”

Phil giggled and fell down onto one of the couches. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s nighttime. The plants are sleeping. So, how does all that fancy astrology equipment work?”

Dan sighed, exasperated, “This is astronomy. Not astrology. That stuff’s a load of crap.” He pulled apart the stand’s legs and set it up before picking up the telescope and sliding it into place. 

“Hmm, I don’t know, my mom raised me to be superstitious. I believe that our fate is at least somewhat controlled by the stars.” Phil replied. 

Dan stopped fidgeting with the telescope to look back at Phil with one eyebrow raised. “Really? That’s a bit ridiculous don’t you think?”

Phil shook his head and grinned. “I think it’s romantic.”

Dan immediately turned away. He could feel his face blushing red. He couldn’t hide the smile on his face though, and he knew Phil must have saw it. And that terrified him. 

He had set his telescope lens on the stand, but he couldn’t fit the bolt that held everything together into place. His hands were shaking too much.

“Do you want some help?” Dan felt a warm hand on his shoulder. 

Dan startled, dropping the bolt. “Jesu- stop scaring me!”

Phil laughed, his tongue poking out again, and Dan tried to think about anything other than kissing the smile off his face. But he couldn’t look away from the other boy’s mouth. 

“I’m sorry.” Phil said, leaning down to retrieve the bolt. He reached past Dan and easily slid it in place. His hands seemed perfectly steady.

Dan hated how everything that made his stomach fill with butterflies didn’t seem to affect Phil at all. This is why Dan stayed away from pretty boys who were unaware of their own perfection. It never ended well.

“Do you need to adjust it or anything? What are you looking for?” Phil asked. 

“Hmm? Sorry, yeah. Let me check.” Dan put his eye to the lens, adjusting the focus and turning the telescope to find the constellations he was looking for. 

Not breaking away, Dan held a hand out to Phil. “Could you open my backpack and grab a pencil and the sketchpad please?” 

“Gotcha.” Phil replied and after a few moments of shuffling and the sound of his bag being unzipped, Dan felt his pencil being pressed into his hand. 

He could also feel Phil’s fingers brushing lightly against his palm. His skin felt electrified and he could have sworn Phil seemed to let his hand linger against Dan’s a little longer than necessary. Dan swallowed harshly. It was just his imagination. 

“Thank you.” He murmured and finally looked away from the stars to begin drawing on the sketchpad. He went back and forth from the telescope to where he was drawing, making sure the squiggly dots on the page matched somewhat to the stars in the sky. When he finished, he leaned back on his heels and blinked a few times to settle his eyes. Dan looked down at the page in his sketchbook. 

“Um, no offence, but that just looks like a load of poorly drawn asterisks.” Phil looked at him, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. 

“Sure. Cause that’s all that they are now. The assignment was to recognize constellations and draw them out. I have to connect the dots now.” Dan began to draw lines across the page, adding details to make to look like an actual picture instead of a five-year-old’s doodles.

“There. Now it’s done.” Dan turned the book around to show Phil. 

“…it’s a dolphin.” Phil said flatly, still obviously confused.  
Dan scoffed and turned the drawing back to himself; he was blushing from embarrassment now. Phil probably thought he was a huge weirdo. 

“I’m sorry!” Phil waved his hands and immediately slid off the couch to kneel in front of Dan. He reached out and turned the drawing back around so he could look at it again. They were both holding on to the sketchpad now. Their fingers were overlapping, their wrists were brushing together, their bodies were so freaking close. Dan was actually having a heart attack. 

“It’s a very pretty dolphin.” Phil tried again, smiling at him. Dan burst into laughter and Phil quickly joined in. Dan had never been an artist. The dolphin wasn’t anything to “oo” and “ah” over. But he appreciated Phil’s effort all the same. 

“Question though,” Phil said when the laughter died down, “why is there a dolphin constellation?”

Dan looked up at the stars, finding the real dolphin in the sky. He pointed to it so that Phil could find it as well. “It’s a Greek myth. Poseidon sent out one of his sacred creatures, a dolphin, as a messenger to find his love, a nymph named Amphitrite. When the dolphin completed its task, Poseidon placed it in the sky to guide other lovers to each other.” 

Dan looked back to sneak glance at Phil, but Phil was already staring at him. His mouth was falling slightly open, and Dan thought about what it would be like if he just kissed him right now. Dan’s breath caught in his throat, and his heart rate jumped to a million miles a minute, but his brain was still in control enough to tell him that kissing the boy he had just met would be a bad idea. He allowed himself one thing: Phil would be the one to look away first. 

Phil kept staring though. And boy, you could get lost in those eyes. 

“Do you believe that?” Phil whispered, and if Dan was any further than the 20 cm between them, he would have missed it. Phil’s fingers moved slightly on the sketchpad, curling around Dan’s. 

“I…I…” Dan broke his promise to himself and turned away from Phil, letting go of the sketchpad. He slid away and wouldn’t look up from the concrete roof beneath them. “I told you. I don’t believe in superstitions.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess you did.” Dan heard Phil lay the drawing down and push himself up into a standing positon. “Well…I’ll just let you get on with your stars then. I’ve still got a few plants I’ve yet to water.” The pain of rejection was clear in Phil’s voice. 

Idiot. Stupid. He didn’t deserve that. 

Dan glanced up at Phil. He was the one blushing now. His arms were crossed tightly against his stomach, and he was kicking the toe of his shoe against the ground.

Phil realized Dan was looking at him and he blushed even harder. “Er, right. Nice meeting you then.” Phil spun around and quickly began to walk away.

“Hey,” Dan called out. His brain had lost all its control by this point. Now his stupid heart was conducting. 

Phil slowly turned back and gave Dan a wary look. “Yeah?”

Dan offered him a timid smile. “I thought the plants were sleeping. Make sure you don’t wake them up, okay?” 

The crease that had formed between Phil’s brows smoothed out, and he returned the small smile. “Yeah, I’ll try not to disturb them. They like me though so there’s less of a chance of them getting angry.”

“Oh really? You a plant whisperer or something?” Dan’s grin grew wider. 

“Or something. I’m like garden cat-nip. Plants can’t get enough of me.” Phil comically puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips.

Dan barked out a laugh. “You should meet the plants in my dorm room then. They might actually have a chance of survival that way.” Dan froze immediately as he realized what that suggested. 

See, this is why you should never listen to your heart!! It makes crappy decisions that you then have to deal with the consequences of!!!

Dan had basically given Phil a free pass to reject him now. But Phil surprised him by raising his eyebrows and continuing to smile. He looked…happy.

Phil dropped his hands from his hips and placed them in his front pockets instead. “Yeah, I think I’d like to. Want to finish up your star charting while I water the daffodils? We can check out your plants after we get done if you want.”

“Sure. Sounds good.” Dan said shakily. He knew this was a bad idea, but Phil seemed different. Intoxicating, just like the perfume of the flowers that circled them. And intriguing. Dan wanted to know more about him. Stupid stuff like his favorite ice cream flavor, whether or not he drank coffee, and what his last name was. Christ, he didn’t even know his last name, and here he was inviting him back to his room. 

“Great.” Phil gave him one last smile before taking the water hose in his hand and wandering off towards the back of the garden.

Dan watched him leave. After a couple of minutes of staring longingly at Phil’s back, he shook his head to try to refocus.

“Stars Dan, look at the stars.” He leaned forward and searched the night sky through the lens of his telescope. 

In his search for another constellation, Dan stumbled across a highly visible, and beautiful-looking Venus instead. 

“This is all your fault you know.” He grumbled at the far-away planet. “You should have stayed hidden away from me. All you ever do is cause trouble.” 

Maybe Dan was a tad superstitious and a bit of a hopeless romantic. And he would never admit it, but Phil was someone that he was glad the stars had thrown his way.


End file.
